The company said in a release it has hired Evercore to shop the paper, as well as rest of its New England assets, the latest twist in a 20-year, often tumultuous, relationship.

The Times tried in 2009 to shop the paper and at one point threatened to close it down amid some particularly tough union negotiations. After getting a few offers, the Times cancelled the auction. Speculation in Boston has really never gone away over who could buy it, especially after it exited its stake in the Boston Red Sox last year.

These names are regularly recycled:

Jack Connors, a wealthy and prominent Boston business man behind a national advertising agency, surfaced again last summer in a report in the Globe itself as having joined another bid attempt. The story, written by Brian McGrory who is now the paper’s top editor, said Connors had joined a group headed by Aaron Kushner. Connors was reported to have been a part of bidding groups in the past as well.